A New Era: Prequel
by ardith
Summary: Prequel to Rurouni Kenshin: A New Era - This is the story of just how Megumi & Sanosuke got together. AND how Megumi helps Kaoru find a way to get through to Kenshin.
1. that's the trouble with confrontations

> **
> 
> Rurouni Kenshin: A New Era -- Prequel
> 
> **   
Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters are used without permission. This is a work of fiction and not written for sale or profit.   
All characters I create belong to me.   
Notes:   
Thanks to Angela-sama for the edits, again!   
Revised on 12/10/98   
Yoko-chan (ardith@hanabatake.com)   
http://www.webslacker.com 
>
>> **A New Era Prequel part 1: That's the Trouble with Confrontations**
>>
>>> Kaoru sighed again, wiping her brow with a languid hand. The heat of summer felt like a blanket. Her every pore seemed to be stifled by the hot, thick air. She blew her bangs away from her face in frustration. She wanted nothing better than to have some shaved ice and sit in the shade, but she couldn't stop to do that. Not today. 
>>> 
>>> Megumi had ordered her to come over to their house. It was time to initiate "the plan". She was nervous enough already without Megumi making it seem like a mission. According to Megumi, the time was just right to put everything into motion. _Everything. _
>>> 
>>> "Kami-sama.... I'm ready for this, aren't I?" 
>>> 
>>> ****************************************** 
>>> 
>>> "Kaoru-chan, we have to talk." The tone of Megumi's voice was serious, almost grave. 
>>> 
>>> "Heh? Megumi, what is it?" Megumi cradled Shinnosuke against her. The infant had finished gorging himself on milk, falling asleep bonelessly against his mother's breast. At 5 months old, Shin-chan was the very image of Sanosuke. 
>>> 
>>> Megumi had on her "older sister" face. Kaoru knew that she was in for some kind of lecture when Megumi had that look in her eyes. She sighed and prepared herself. "I think this has gone long enough, don't you? You have to do something about this situation." 
>>> 
>>> "This situation? Megumi, what are you talking about?" Kaoru blinked owlishly at Megumi. _She couldn't mean....? _
>>> 
>>> "I'm talking about you and Kenshin. Don't you think its time for you two to stop kidding around and get together and do it already?" 
>>> 
>>> "G-Get t-together? D-Do it? Wh-What are you talking about?! Megumi!" Kaoru had a sinking feeling that she did know what Megumi was getting at. She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. 
>>> 
>>> "Kaoru, really," Megumi said, her tone full of patience. If she didn't interfere, Kaoru and Kenshin would just continue to dance around each other forever. If anything, they would never be as happy as they could be. She wanted them to be happy. "You'll have to make the first move." 
>>> 
>>> "B-But-" 
>>> 
>>> "But nothing! If you want him, you have to go out and get him." 
>>> 
>>> "But-" 
>>> 
>>> "Kenshin is great, Kaoru. He's sweet, sensitive. All of that and more. But men can be dense about some things. You have to show them the way," Megumi explained. "No matter how great they are, that's their nature." 
>>> 
>>> "But-" Kaoru tried to speak, but Megumi was on a roll. It seemed Megumi had spent a long time sorting Kaoru's plight out in her head. 
>>> 
>>> "Do you know what Sanosuke finally pried out of him yesterday? That man thinks he's unworthy of you. Kenshin! The ideas that men get in their heads. You, it seems, are too pure and innocent for him. What rubbish!" 
>>> 
>>> "Not worthy? Too pure? But-" 
>>> 
>>> "Kaoru-chan, the only way that you two will be happy is if you are together the way you were meant to be. Now you have to go and-" 
>>> 
>>> "Mou! Me-gu-mi!" Kaoru interrupted. She lowered her voice in deference the slumbering Shinnosuke "I understand! Okay, I got it." 
>>> 
>>> "You do?" 
>>> 
>>> "Yes. I do." Kaoru fidgeted under Megumi's gaze. Her face was turning pinker with under her scrutiny. "But are you sure? I mean, its been almost three years since we all met and he doesn't seem to-" 
>>> 
>>> "Kaoru-chan, don't be an idiot." 
>>> 
>>> "I-I know he cares about me.... But what if it's not that way? He may just love me as a sister." She looked away from Megumi to stare at the closest wall. That was her secret fear. That Kenshin didn't really want her. 
>>> 
>>> "Don't be stupid. You just don't see how that man looks at you sometimes, the way he watches you." 
>>> 
>>> "Watches me?" 
>>> 
>>> "Yes. Like a man who wants you. Kaoru. He loves you that way. Now we have to make him see that you two can be together." Megumi smiled, remembering her own courtship with Sanosuke. 
>>> 
>>> Megumi knew that she wasn't the one for Kenshin a long time ago. She had liked Kenshin from the beginning. But she realized almost from the start that Kaoru had always been the one that he wanted. 
>>> 
>>> After the events in Kyoto and Enishi's plan for revenge against them, Megumi realized something that shook her. Though she loved Kenshin, she was not in love with him. During their battle with Enishi's group, she found herself worrying over a certain street thug. 
>>> 
>>> She didn't know when it happened, but she realized that she was in love with Sanosuke. It was probably something she felt from the beginning. They had been fighting way too much. She should have realized that it was just a cover for the attraction she was experiencing. She tried to hide her feelings. But Sano knew her better than she realized. 
>>> 
>>> She didn't want anyone to know. Sano acted like he didn't even like her sometimes. Megumi didn't know if she could take his rejection. And she didn't want anything to change between them. So, she changed everything. >From that day on, she studiously avoided him, keeping temptation out of reach. 
>>> 
>>> Sano quickly came to realize what she was doing. He finally cornered her in the clinic late one night to confront her. He just would not leave her alone. Megumi smiled at the memory. 
>>> 
>>> ****************************************** 
>>> 
>>> "What the hell is wrong with you?" He stalked into the room, slamming the door closed behind him. His eyes glittered with anger. 
>>> 
>>> "Sano? What are you doing here? It's late, you shouldn't-" 
>>> 
>>> "You've been avoiding me for weeks now." 
>>> 
>>> "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice shaking a little. She turned away from him. She couldn't look at him and say what needed to be said. She couldn't talk the way that she used to with him anymore. Why couldn't he just leave? 
>>> 
>>> "You. I'm talking about you avoiding me. What's wrong? Dammit! You don't even want to look at me." He turned her face up so that he could look into her eyes. They were filling with tears. "Gods. Megumi, what the hell is the matter with you?" 
>>> 
>>> She couldn't speak. She couldn't. She shook her head. The tears fell, streaking down her face. Sanosuke rubbed them away. His fingers felt rough against her skin. Megumi shivered. 
>>> 
>>> "Megumi. Gods. Don't cry. Dammit," he roughly whispered. "Shit. I didn't mean- Please. I don't want to see you cry." He brushed her hair away from her face. "Don't cry, baby. Don't...." 
>>> 
>>> She couldn't speak. She couldn't even breathe. He was staring into her eyes. They were so brown and deep. Dark. She felt like she was drowning in his eyes. 
>>> 
>>> "Don't cry," he whispered roughly. He cupped her face in his hands and began kissing the tears from her face. "Megumi, I just want..." He kissed her mouth, then. 
>>> 
>>> His lips.... Megumi had fantasized about kissing his lips before. Imagined his warmth, his taste. None of those fantasies compared to the real thing. She sighed and leaned into him. This was what she wanted. This was what she always wanted. He was what she wanted. 
>>> 
>>> "Megumi?" He gazed into her face. She had stopped crying. She looked so beautiful. Her lips were swollen from his kiss. Her cheeks flushed. The scent of gardenias floated up to him. He breathed deeply. _ Megumi. _
>>> 
>>> "Sanosuke. I...." Megumi had always prided herself with being honest, at least with herself. She pulled him down to her and kissed him again. She sighed and leaned into him. "Sanosuke.... I'm sorry." She looked up at him then pushed him away, turning swiftly out of his arms. He was stunned, hitting the wall. He never knew that she could move so fast. 
>>> 
>>> Megumi ran. She couldn't believe that she had let herself go like that. How could she let her control slip? How could she give in to her...her lust like that? How could she...how could she....? Oh Kami-sama. And now...now she was running away like a coward. 
>>> 
>>> "Kami-sama...," she whispered, whipping the tears from her eyes. "I'm such a fool." She wanted to just get home. She wanted to get away. She.... He.... They ruined everything! Nothing was going to be the same again. 
>>> 
>>> "What the hell was that about, Megumi?" Sanosuke growled from behind her, just as she reached the door. He wasn't even winded, she thought with more than a hint of resentment as she panted for breath. 
>>> 
>>> "Sanosuke? How did you-" He opened the door to her apartment and pulled her in behind him before she could answer him, closing the door and barring the only way of escape. 
>>> 
>>> "It's time to stop playing around, Megumi." He forced her to sit down. "Now, talk." 
>>> 
>>> Talk? She couldn't even think, let alone talk.... 
>>> 
>>> "Megumi?" Sano squatted down on his haunches, his hands gently moving her inky black hair away from her face. Sano suppressed a sigh. That kiss... 
>>> 
>>> He had wanted her from that first moment when she barged in while he gambled, running from the Oniwabanshu and her past to some sort of sanctuary. He didn't want to want her. Not then. Even now, he struggled against falling, but there were things about her that drew him. She tried to put up this front of being invincible, of being mature. But she was so vulnerable. 
>>> 
>>> AND she had wanted Kenshin. Not him. He shook his head. She was still silent, but he waited for her to talk. To say something. To explain why...why she kissed him back. He needed to know. He wanted to be sure. She made him feel.... 
>>> 
>>> Why would she want him?, a voice in his head asked cynically. He used to brawl on the streets to earn his keep. He was so far below her, class wise, that he wouldn't even have been considered a servant for her family. Megumi was, at heart, a real lady. She should be living in some mansion with a troop of servants. She had an education. What did he have? Hell, he didn't even have a real job. 
>>> 
>>> He knew that he should just leave. He should just walk out that door and forget about what happened. But he couldn't. He couldn't do that. He needed to know if there was a chance. _If_ he had a chance.... 
>>> 
>>> But she wasn't even looking at him. Maybe she needed to work things out for herself. She had to come to realize that they had something between them. What he was feeling could not be one-sided. Could it? How could she kiss him like that if it was? 
>>> 
>>> He tucked another stray hair behind her ear, then got up. He was going to leave her alone, then. For now. 
>>> 
>>> "Fox, I'll come back when you're feeling a little more talkative. Then we can talk about how stupid all of this is. I've decided that you get a reprieve now, but you can be sure that I'm coming back." He started to walk towards the door when a soft sound stopped him. 
>>> 
>>> "Sanosuke," she whispered. 
>>> 
>>> His name whispered from her soft lips made him pause. He turned around and walked towards her. She wasn't crying. No fresh tears on her beautiful face. She smiled, as if she just had a amazing revelation. She was smiling like an angel. 
>>> 
>>> "Yeah, Fox?" He grinned down at her. He just knew it must have been a stupid little grin, but he couldn't stop when she looked up at him like that. 
>>> 
>>> "What the **HELL** do you mean by _YOU'VE_ decided that I get a reprieve? What are you talking about?" Her voice shook with anger. Her angelic smile was gone. Sanosuke backed up, a gamin look on his face. He always knew what it took to rile her up. She definitely did not like men to be high handed about important decisions in her life. She had come to a decision. She was definitely going to take what she wanted, to take what she needed. 
>>> 
>>> He loved the fire in her eyes when they argued. He loved her. It was his turn to move fast, pulling her into his arms. He smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling. It didn't matter if he was a rascal ...he needed her. 
>>> 
>>> "I was giving you time to realize that you, Fox, are mine. But I guess that you figured that out already." She looked like she wanted to say something about that, but he kissed her before she could reply. And then, she forgot what she was so angry about. 
>>> 
>>> ****************************************** 
>>> 
>>> "Sanosuke made me realize then that he wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with him, Kaoru. Even then, at first he felt that I was better than him. Of course, I made him see the light about that!" Megumi shook her head as she remembered how long it took to get him to tell her everything about his past. To tell her about what happened to him as a child. Because he loved her, he gave her all he could. Together, they were so much stronger, so much more alive. 
>>> 
>>> "Kenshin has to realize the same thing. You have to show him that you're not fragile or too innocent or pure for him. You, Kamiya Kaoru, must seduce him!" Then she smiled that angel's smile, "Or at least start the seduction. I'm sure Ken-san knows what to do from that point on." 
>>> 
>>> With that pronouncement, Sagara Megumi began to explain what Kaoru had to do. Kaoru blushed as Megumi acted as older sister/mother and told her all about the goings on between men and women. It was not as if Kaoru didn't know ANYTHING.... Okay, so she didn't know the exact details, but she had heard things about.... Anyway, now she knew and that was what counted. She made her decision. It was time. 
>>> 
>>> That was a week ago, though. She had time to reconsider. And her toes were definitely getting chilled. She hurried to Megumi's, bolstering her courage with her new mantra. "I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this," Kaoru chanted to herself. "I'm going to-" 
>>> 
>>> "Are you ready, Kaoru?" Megumi asked, a half-smile on her face. 
>>> 
>>> "Yes." Kaoru too a deep breath and stepped forward._ I'm ready for the beginning_, she thought. _The new beginning.... _
>> 
>> Go to the  
[next chapter!][1]

   [1]: rknewpre02.html



	2. the best laid plans

> **
> 
> Rurouni Kenshin: A New Era -- Prequel
> 
> **   
Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters are used without permission. This is a work of fiction and not written for sale or profit.   
All characters I create belong to me.   
Notes:   
Thanks to Neka, Tae, Hikaru, Raya and Morrigan.   
Written on 12/10/98   
Yoko-chan (ardith@hanabatake.com)   
http://www.hanabatake.com 
>
>> **A New Era Prequel part 2:   
The Best Laid Plans**
>> 
>> "Don't worry, Kaoru." Megumi brought out a large mirror, leaning it against the wall of the bedroom. Shinnosuke was asleep on their futon, off to the side. Kaoru looked at Megumi with trepidation. She had brought out a veritable arsenal for her "preparation."... 
>> 
>> "I can't help it. I'm nervous. Megumi! What if he...he just says no? What am I supposed to do then? I knew I shouldn't have listened to you. I just _knew_ it. This is all a huge mistake!" She wracked her brain and thought the plan over. There was no way that _she_ could ever succeed in seducing Kenshin. No way. He was going to laugh at her. No, worse. He was going to be polite and just walk away. He'd just tell her she was being silly. Tell her that she was still a child. Dang it, she was almost twenty! 
>> 
>> "Kaoru! Stop panicking! This is going to work. Believe me. Kenshin won't be able to resist you after this." Megumi moved swiftly, pulling off the blue ribbon that held Kaoru's long hair. 
>> 
>> "I don't think I can go through with this," Kaoru looked at her reflection critically. Once released from her ponytail, her dark, inky hair fell down in straight locks past her waist. Her eyes were huge and panicked, in her heart shaped face. 
>> 
>> "Kaoru, stop looking as if you're about to go to your death. You _know_ what he feels. He told Sanosuke he thinks you are just too good for him. If you want him, you have to go out and get him." 
>> 
>> "Do you really think I can do this?" Kaoru queried softly. Her eyes sought Megumi's in the reflection of the mirror for reassurance. When Megumi first came into their lives, she had made Kaoru feel like the biggest country bumpkin in existence. Megumi had been everything that she wasn't. She was mature and experienced. She knew about men. Megumi's presence had made her feel like a sweaty tomboy, like a little girl playing at boys' games. 
>> 
>> "Kamiya Kaoru, look at yourself in the mirror. What do you see?" Megumi pointed to the glassy reflection. "What do you see there? You're beautiful. And more than that. You're strong. And brave. And smart. _I'm_ not going to make you do this." Megumi crossed her arms, her reflection glaring at Kaoru from the mirror. "You are going to do this because you want to. Because you know that it's time." 
>> 
>> "I want him, Megumi," Kaoru confessed, her cheeks pinking with her words. "I want to really be with him. I've wanted it for so long. I-I-I just don't know if-" 
>> 
>> "If he wants you? He wants you, Kaoru. He's always wanted you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have stayed with you for so long. And he wouldn't have needed to say good-bye that day he left for Kyoto." Megumi had been so hurt when he left without telling her. But Kaoru... Kaoru had been devastated that he'd left at all. She wouldn't even eat. Megumi had fixed that problem. Now she was finally going to fix this one. 
>> 
>> "But he-" 
>> 
>> "_And_ he came back to Tokyo with you. For you. He needs you, too. Now, the question is: do _you_ want him enough? Do you _need_ him enough?" If Kaoru wasn't ready.... Then Megumi was going to back down. Megumi just felt as if they weren't as happy as they could be, existing in a kind of limbo for too long. She just wanted the best for Kenshin and Kaoru. They were her family when she really needed one. They still were. 
>> 
>> "He wants you. You want him. What are you waiting for? He's not getting any younger," she continued with a smile. "Now, do you want to do this or not?" 
>> 
>> "Okay." Kaoru's voice was hesitant and soft. 
>> 
>> "Hmmm?" 
>> 
>> "Yes. I want him. I'm going to get him." 
>> 
>> "Good. I sent Yahiko to Tae's with a little note. He's gonna help out and end up staying too late to walk back. Tae will make him spend the night. The rest, my friend, is up to you. Now let's get you ready." 
>> 
>> ****************************************** 
>> 
>> _Where is Kaoru?_ It was not like her to be late. Kenshin had just finished the laundry and was hanging it out to dry in the sun. With the humidity in the air, it would take that much longer for them to be fully dried out. All of the chores were done and the sun hung low in the sky. Life at the Kamiya Dojo had fallen into a comfortable routine for him. Chores, cooking.... He knew how long it took to do everything he needed to help Kaoru run things around the dojo. 
>> 
>> _Where is she?, _ he wondered again as he sat down, leaning against the entrance to the dojo courtyard. 
>> 
>> The dojo was quiet with both Kaoru and Yahiko out. When no one was around, the dojo looked so empty. He wondered if Kaoru had been lonely when she lived here by herself. All those years ago, that young girl had been fierce and full of energy, determined to achieve her goal. But that didn't change the fact that she had been so alone. 
>> 
>> He closed his eyes. _Kaoru_.... She was going to turn twenty soon. Twenty.... 
>> 
>> That was past the age most girls were married. _What would I do if she did...if she found someone to love? To be with? What would I do? Let her be happy. I would let her be happy._ Kenshin thought he could be strong. He hoped.... 
>> 
>> *-*-* 
>> 
>> "She's too good...," Kenshin sighed as he watched Kaoru turn and knock the hard bokken out of Yahiko's hands as they practiced. 
>> 
>> If she really knew what he felt for her. Kenshin shook his head at that thought. The girl would probably be scared silly. Or more to the point, she would likely run him out of the house. Only Sanosuke knew the reason why he never did anything about his feelings. 
>> 
>> "What the hell are you talking about, Kenshin?" Sano sat beside him as they watched Kaoru and Yahiko practice in the courtyard of the dojo. Megumi sat in the shade of the trees, watching the practice with a sleeping Shinnosuke 
>> 
>> "Kaoru-dono. You asked me why I don't just marry her. She deserves better than me." 
>> 
>> Sano shook his head. "Kenshin. You are usually one of the most intelligent men that I know when it comes to understanding people, but sometimes you are an idiot. And when it comes to certain young, nubile kendo instructors, you are definitely one." 
>> 
>> "Sano. Look at her. She's 10 years younger than me. She's good. She's never-" 
>> 
>> "She's never what, Kenshin? Never bloodied her hands? Never kissed a boy? Never had sex?" Kenshin's eyes flashed at that. Sanosuke knew when to back off. But still, Kenshin needed a good head butt to clear whatever fouled up his mind on this matter. "Kenshin, she's a lot less naive than you imagine." Sano shook his head at Kenshin's reasoning. No matter how much time they spent talking about this, it would take something drastic to change his mind. "Look at her. Kenshin, she knows more about the goings on of the world than most young girls do. She had to survive alone without all of us.... Jou-chan is strong and smart. You should get off your ass and thank the gods that you have her. Then you should go after her, to make sure she stays yours." 
>> 
>> "She deserves better." 
>> 
>> "Heh. I told myself that when I finally realized what I felt for Megumi. I've done things that should have horrified her. I had to survive. She understands, though. I think Kaoru would, too. She knows you and if you would just open your eyes, you would see that she wants you, too." 
>> 
>> "She deserves better," Kenshin repeated. He felt like he was trying to convince himself. 
>> 
>> Sano snorted in disbelief. "Then you'd just step aside if someone came? Think about _**that,**_ Kenshin. Think about how you'd feel if another man had the right to touch her. To be with her. Could you still let her go?" 
>> 
>> "If she wanted to...." 
>> 
>> "Hell, Kenshin. Being a damn martyr isn't going to make either of you happy...." 
>> 
>> *-*-* 
>> 
>> Martyrdom. That was a joke. Could he stand it? Could he just step aside if someone else wanted her? And if she wanted him? Kenshin fisted his hand at that thought. He knew how appealing Kaoru could be. How when she smiled, you could feel like you were the greatest man in the world. It would be so easy for someone to just take one look at her and fall in love. 
>> 
>> Kaoru was the most important person in his life. He loved her. That would never change. But Kenshin knew he should let her go. He should let her live her life. Find someone who was like her. Someone who deserved her. Someone who would make her happy. 
>> 
>> Kaoru had saved him in so many ways. She had given him a family. That was something he had never really had before. All of them had needed each other for different reasons, but they stayed together because they found a home within Kaoru's sphere. That was her power. She helped you find happiness. No, if she found someone she could love, Kenshin would not begrudge her. He wouldn't leave her either. If he couldn't be with her, he wanted to still be part of her life. 
>> 
>> "_Tadaima._" 
>> 
>> "Kaoru-dono? _Okaeri de gozaru yo._" He stood up and walked toward the front of their home. 
>> 
>> "Oro? Ka-Kaoru-dono?" _Gods._ She looked beautiful. Her hair was arranged so that half fell down her back in a black curtain. Half was pulled up, arranged with combs and pins. She wore a lavender and deep purple kimono. He could hear the silk layers rustle as she walked towards him. She shaded her face with a pale bamboo umbrella. She looked like an untouchable princess. 
>> 
>> "Kenshin, do you like it? Megumi helped me dress up." 
>> 
>> "Me-Megumi-san?" Kenshin looked so cute. And so confused. _It's working!_
>> 
>> "Yes. We were just....experimenting. She said that I should really dress up for the next festival. I think she's just worried because I'm turning twenty. It's not as if I care or anything. And she shouldn't either. It's not like she cared how old she was when she married Sano." 
>> 
>> "She wants you to find a husband?" Megumi was overstepping herself. It wasn't any of her business if... What was he thinking? Megumi had every right to worry about Kaoru's future. She loved her like a younger sister. 
>> 
>> "I guess.... How do I look?" She felt like flying like a sparrow. She was so excited. The nervousness had transformed itself to a sense of rightness. As she walked home from Megumi's, she knew that she had never looked this way. She looked- 
>> 
>> "Different...," he replied absently. 
>> 
>> "Ken...shin," Kaoru fairly growled. He wasn't reacting the right way. Megumi had said that this would work. Apparently, Sano and Kenshin were different creatures when it came to seduction. Kenshin didn't seem to even notice. 
>> 
>> "You look beautiful. I...I have to go make dinner. Why don't you go inside. It feels so hot today..." 
>> 
>> "Kenshin?" He walked away. She watched in numb horror as the most important man in her life walked away. Kaoru's eyes filled with tears. What was she doing wrong? What did she have to do to make him realize that she wanted him? 
>> 
>> Kenshin worked in the kitchen, automatically preparing their evening meal. It was only right that Megumi would play the matchmaker for Kaoru, he reasoned as he began to cut and dice vegetables. He wondered what kind of man she had lined up for Kaoru. She should have spoken to him and Yahiko first, of course. At least introduced them.... 
>> 
>> When he saw Kaoru walk in, her face shaded from the sun by that umbrella, her kimono immaculate.... He felt as if his heart might stop. He wanted to reach up and pull the pins and combs from her hair. To watch it tumble around her face and tangle his fingers through the strands. He wanted to kiss her. She smiled at him and he wanted to take. To grab and mess up the perfection of her attire by moving against her. By her moving against him. So he left. He had to go, to find his control. 
>> 
>> Megumi probably would be arranging a _miai_ soon. A _miai_... a marriage meeting. For Kaoru. Kenshin knew that Kaoru was of age, but he had never really thought.... 
>> 
>> _"Then you'd just step aside if someone came? Think about _**that,**_ Kenshin. Think about how you'd feel if another man had the right to touch her. To be with her. Could you still let her go?" _
>> 
>> Someone else touching her? Kissing her? Holding her? Someone else being with her till they were old.... 
>> 
>> "Kenshin." 
>> 
>> "Hm? Kaoru-dono?" He wasn't going to look at her. He couldn't look at her and not want her, not try to reach out and touch. Not today. 
>> 
>> "Why are you cutting up vegetables into such tiny little pieces? I thought you were going to pickle them. Don't you usually have them larger?" 
>> 
>> "Oro~" The vegetables were cut up into tiny, perfect squares. What _was_ he thinking about? Oh yeah...Kaoru. Marrying someone else. 
>> 
>> "I'm going to make....oden instead." 
>> 
>> "Don't you need larger pieces for that, too?" 
>> 
>> "Don't worry about it, Kaoru-dono." 
>> 
>> "Okay. I-I'm going to be reading." 
>> 
>> "I'll bring it in when it's ready." 
>> 
>> "Thank you." Kaoru shivered as she walked back to the main room. That conversation. It was just so...polite. This plan of Megumi's totally backfired. Now he wouldn't even look at her. _Mou, I should have just left everything alone! _
>> 
>> ****************************************** 
>> 
>> Kenshin and Kaoru ate in silence. Kaoru wanted to burst into tears. The strained silence ate away at her. She was so sure that the plan would work after she dressed up and saw herself. She had been so sure that she could finally have all that she wanted. Now...Now everything had gone wrong. Kenshin wouldn't even look in her direction. 
>> 
>> Kenshin couldn't stand it anymore. He had to know if Kaoru knew who Megumi planned to match her up with. He had to know if the boy was worthy. 
>> 
>> "Ka-Kaoru-dono?" 
>> 
>> "Yes?" At least he was going to try to talk to her, finally. She felt her muscles relax. He wasn't going to stay upset. 
>> 
>> "Do you know who he is?" he asked, staring at his food as he picked at it. 
>> 
>> "Huh?" 
>> 
>> "For the _miai_. Do you know what man Megumi-san wants to match you up with?" 
>> 
>> "Man? _Miai?_ What are you talking about?" When Kenshin helplessly looked at her, she everything fell into place. "Kenshin, you think all of this is for a _**MIAI**?_" He was distancing himself because he thought that she was doing all of this for a _miai_. He thought that it was all for someone else. Suddenly the world seemed a lot brighter. 
>> 
>> "I thought that Megumi-San" Kenshin started as Kaoru began to laugh. Her laughter sounded so sweet to Kenshin that he smiled at the gentle sound. He looked up automatically, expecting to see joy on her face (no matter how painful it was to him). 
>> 
>> Kaoru was laughing while tears flowed down her beautiful face. 
>> 
>> "Kaoru....dono?" 
>> 
>> "You...you thought that I was going to be matched up with someone? That's why you wouldn't look at me this whole afternoon? Gods, Kenshin! I've been going through _hell!_" She began to cry in earnest. Kenshin dropped his chopsticks and moved to her side. 
>> 
>> "You're not going to..." 
>> 
>> "Kenshin _no baka_!" 
>> 
>> "Oro~" 
>> 
>> "I can't believe that you'd think that. You thought that I'd just accept someone out of the blue like that?" Kaoru wiped the tears away from her face. She wanted to look at him clearly, to see his face. 
>> 
>> "You're not getting matched up? Megumi doesn't have anyone for you to...." He looked so relieved. He must have been imagining what life would be without her. Now that she understood, she felt her heart warm at his initial reaction. 
>> 
>> "Kenshin. Look at me." He met her eyes. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright from tears. She was so beautiful. 
>> 
>> "You're not getting married to anyone?" he asked again. He couldn't seem to think. He just needed to confirm that she wasn't going to be with someone else. He needed to know that she wasn't going to leave him. 
>> 
>> "Kenshin... Don't you know? I love you. You're what I want. What I've always wanted." 
>> 
>> "Kaoru...dono." She saw him wince and desperately tried to swallowed her panic. 
>> 
>> "If you don't feel the same...If you don't love me that way, then tell me now. Tell me so I can...I can do _something_." 
>> 
>> "Kaoru?" 
>> 
>> "It hurts. It hurts here," she whispered, taking his hand and placing it over her heart. "Not knowing hurts. Knowing may hurt me, too, but...m-maybe I can make it go away. I can't make _this_ pain do that." She wanted him to understand. Kenshin would always be a part of her life, even if he decided that he didn't want her that way. She would just have to love him some other way....if she could. But he had said _Kaoru_.... 
>> 
>> "Kaoru, I-You.... Kaoru, don't you understand how hard it is for me?" 
>> 
>> "Hard?" What was he talking about? 
>> 
>> He reached out and touched her face. His fingers felt rough, but his touch was gentle. She cupped his hand to keep it still on her, savoring his touch. "Kaoru-dono. You should be with someone good. Someone who hasn't done the things that I have. Someone who hasn't killed another person, no matter what reason." 
>> 
>> "You're an idiot," she whispered back to him. "Do you think I would suddenly just fall in love with this nonexistent paragon? I love you." 
>> 
>> Kenshin felt his heart squeeze every time she said those words. _She loves me. Why am I fighting it?_ He was fast forgetting any reason for resistance as she moved closer to him. 
>> 
>> "Kenshin, I don't think I could accept anyone else. I don't think anyone else would make me as happy as you do." Her eyes were dark pools, blue-back and endless. They pulled him in, drawing him closer to her. 
>> 
>> "You could," he whispered back, "if you tried." She was so close now. He could just lean over. He could just move forward and kiss her.... 
>> 
>> "I wouldn't want to...," she returned, "because I want you." Kaoru leaned up, pulling his face towards her. Their lips touched. She pulled back slowly. "I want you." 
>> 
>> "We shouldn't...." He could smell her sweet scent. Jasmine flowers and Kaoru. So close. He leaned forward and kissed her, pulling her closer to him. _Kaoru. _ He had dreamt so often of holding her. Touching her. Now she was in his arms. Pulling him closer. 
>> 
>> _Kenshin. This was Kenshin._ Kaoru didn't know it would feel like this. Kissing him. It was so...She couldn't describe it. She whimpered when he deepened the kiss. She never knew you could do that. She felt like her heart was going to burst, it was beating so hard. She wanted to touch him. She had to. Her fingers wandered up, tangling in his hair, pulling off the tie that held hit back. It felt like silk against her hands. 
>> 
>> "You can't talk your way out of this one, Kenshin. Tell me." Her breath was ragged. 
>> 
>> "Tell you?" How could she talk when he couldn't even think? 
>> 
>> "Tell...me." She punctuated each word with a kiss. Kenshin closed his eyes, but she was already a part of his soul. 
>> 
>> "You...could...do...," Kaoru continued to rain kisses on his face, so..much..bett-" She stopped his words with her lips, kissing him with all her love. 
>> 
>> "No," she whispered against his lips, "I couldn't. I belong to you. Like you belong to me. Tell me." 
>> 
>> "Kamiya Kaoru, you're very stubborn." 
>> 
>> "Yeah?" She wanted to kiss him again, so she did. He tasted so good. She leaned forward, molding her lips to his, exploring his mouth as he did hers. 
>> 
>> When he could breathe again, he replied, "Yeah." 
>> 
>> "Tell me, Kenshin." 
>> 
>> "I love you." She sighed and leaned into him, kissing him deeply. 
>> 
>> "Marry me?" 
>> 
>> "Yes," he returned, kissing her so sweetly that she wanted to weep. 
>> 
>> "Oh good. I was prepared to..." She leaned forward and began to whisper in his ear. 
>> 
>> "All that?" 
>> 
>> "Uh-huh.... Of course, if you were still being stubborn, I would...." 
>> 
>> "Kaoru?" 
>> 
>> "Yes?" 
>> 
>> "Call me Stubborn." 
>> 
>> "Stubborn," she whispered against his lips. 
>> 
>> [Yoko-chan's Fanfic Page ][1]

   [1]: ../



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